Have you jumped aboard the flushable wipes bandwagon? The word “flushable” has made this alternative to traditional toilet paper extremely popular – for obvious reasons. They make personal hygiene easier and more thorough, they’re good for sensitive skin, and they’re just the latest example of how technology can improve even the most basic of technologies – like simple toilet paper.
But is there more than meets the eye to flushable toilet wipes? Are flushable wipes actually flushable? Let’s take a deep dive:
Quite clearly, the marketing campaigns about flushable wet wipes have paid off – because flushable baby wipes and other “flushable” toilet wipe products are indeed starting to take a bite out of the $30 billion global toilet paper market. According to that marketing, you conveniently use the flushable wipe, you hit the flush button, and it is broken down throughout its journey throughout the sewer system and onwards to its destination.
But did you know the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) actually initiated proceedings in the Federal Court against certain flushable wipes Australia-wide? The ACCC alleged that by using the word ‘flushable’ in the marketing and the packaging, consumers were quite obviously led to believe that flushable toilet wipes are, indeed, flushable.
“This was not the case,” the ACCC chairman said at the time. “These products did not, for example, disintegrate like toilet paper when flushed.”
Well, here at Drain Masters Plumbing, we’ve done our own homework and put together the top 4 questions customers just like you have asked us the most when considering “Are flushable wipes flushable?” And now, we present the 4 answers:
1. Are flushable wipes really flushable?
It’s the big question, but here’s the short answer: “No.” In reality, flushable wipes generally don’t break down as easily as toilet paper. As a result, pipe and sewer blockages are actually more likely when using flushable toilet wipes.
2. So is normal toilet paper actually better?
You may prefer flushable wipes, but your actual plumbing system prefers normal toilet paper! That’s because toilet paper – made with a combination of wood pulp and water – is specifically designed to break down quickly and easily when it touches water. Toilet wipes, on the other hand, contain certain synthetic fibres and other materials.
3. Are flushable wipes biodegradable?
As well as claiming they’re “flushable”, the marketing material and packaging of these toilet wipes often also claim that they are “biodegradable”. But that’s misleading at best, because while they will biodegrade if enough time passes, it doesn’t compare to the biodegradability of normal toilet paper. They certainly don’t biodegrade whilst still in your plumbing system and pipes, whilst the term ‘biodegradable’ in this instance is actually quite misleading – because the parts they break down into can often be anything but environmentally friendly as well.
4. What do the wastewater treatment plants say about them?
The verdict is almost unanimous: wastewater treatment plants across the country really don’t like flushable wipes either! They say these products:
- Are causing millions in damage each year
- Cause a significant percentage of all pipe blockages
- Some brands are particularly un-flushable
- They pollute the environment
- They harm aquatic life.
Have flushable wipes clogged up your pipes?
And do you know what? The drain cleaning specialists right here at Drain Masters Plumbing couldn’t agree more that, to keep your plumbing repair bills low, you should definitely steer clear of saying bye-bye to flushable wipes down the toilet.
But if you do find yourself with a blockage, even if you’re an enthusiastic and long-term user of ‘flushable’ wipes, don’t be ashamed to give our friendly Brisbane drain plumbing team of Drain Masters a call today. With the latest technologies, the most up-to-date expertise and years of experience up and down drains just like yours, we can help you out with fully-guaranteed workmanship and a smile every time.
Our specialists are on duty 24/7, so if your clogged-up drains have given you a headache, call Drain Masters Plumbing right now.
